


starts with goodbye.

by vandermarin



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F, i might continue this idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3099566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vandermarin/pseuds/vandermarin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was all over.<br/>No more A. No more Alison and her minions. Nothing but peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I: HIDDEN.

It was all over.

No more A. No more Alison and her minions. Nothing but peace. They had finally won. _Mona_ had finally won. Without Mona, none of the girls would have been able to take down Alison, even though Spencer would never admit it.

No more “monster Mona” comments from Caleb, no more snide comments about her from Spencer. They finally saw the person Hanna had always seen, the person Hanna never gave up on even though she so badly wanted to.

For so many nights, Hanna lied awake in bed, furious at Mona.  _Why did she make my life so miserable?_ Hanna would ask herself. But then Mona went to Radley and came back to Rosewood, shiny and new, begging for Hanna's forgiveness. And Hanna didn't budge. So that was why Mona got tangled in this mess--for Hanna's forgiveness. Mona put herself in danger to help Hanna figure out who “Red Coat” was, and ultimately, Mona risked her life to help Hanna and the girls put an end to Alison. Now, she needed to thank Mona for, well... Everything. 

Hanna exited her car, roses in hand. She bit her lip as she opened the door to the mausoleum, where Mona had been “buried”. They'd never found a body, but Mrs. Vanderwaal and Hanna both agreed there needed a place for everyone to pay respects. The cold air hit Hanna liked a ton of red bricks, causing her to shiver. Her heels' clicks echoed as she made her way to Mona's tombstone.

Hanna's took a deep breath before putting the roses in the mausoleum vase. Her tears threatened to flood from her eyes. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she blinked.

“Mona,” Hanna spoke weakly, looking up. “I don't know h-how this works since I'm not the most religious person ever... But I _do_ know you are in a better place now, and I hope that I will see you again one day.”

“You were my first _real_ friend, Mona. Sure, I had Aria and the others before you, but... Alison kinda forced us to be friends. But when you became my friend... It felt like everything in my life was right. You were the only one I could turn to when my dad threw me away like yesterday's garbage. You were the only one I could turn to when I didn't feel like Hanna Marin. You always made me feel better, whether it was by a movie marathon or... Or, or a shopping spree. Mona, you were the fire to the candle of my life. You were the light when everything else in my life was so dark.”

Hanna paused, wiping a tear from her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she started again, “that I never stood up to Alison when she bullied you. I'm sorry that I kicked you out of my life after you came back from Radley. I'm sorry that you ended up like this for us. I have to live with that, Mona. I have to live with the fact that I could've prevented this from happening. I get nightmares of you getting killed every night since that Thanksgiving. I wake up  _screaming_ sometimes, and my mom comes rushing. She has to comfort and tell me that it was all just dream. But it isn't!  _You_ are gone. Because of me. I might as well have shot you or stabbed you or whatever! This is all my fault, Mona.”

Hanna was full on sobbing now, slowly sinking down to the ground. “Mona... I want to th-thank you, though. Thank you for always seeing the best in me. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for helping us these past few months, and thank you for hiring that lawyer to talk to us. But, Mona, thank you, above all else, for believing in me when no one else would. Without you and your studying tips, I probably wouldn't have aced my SAT or my ACT and gotten accepted into the Fashion Institute. I'm sorry that I'll never see you graduate for Harvard or Yale or Columbia at the top of your class or high school for even that matter. I would give anything to trade spots with you right now, Mona. I'm the one who should be lying in a coffin. You're not supposed to gone, not like this.”

Hanna sat on the floor with her head in hands for a few moments before wiping her tears again. She cleared her throat, “Mona, it's taken me forever to figure everything out, but it's taken me the longest of times to admit this... I love you, Mona. You know what I mean—of course, you know what I mean, you're Mona Vanderwaal... I'm sorry that I never told you before, well... you know. But I really do, Mona. I really do. I wish you could be here beside me right now.”

Hanna bit her lip after getting up from her position on the ground. She wiped off her skirt before continuing, “But today is finally a good day. Mona, you finally won. There's no more questions, no more games. Just answers. I didn't win, Spencer didn't win, Aria didn't win, and Emily didn't win. Mona,  _you_ are the sole victor of it all. You were right about Alison, you were right about everything. Alison's behind bars, and while, I'd like to say it's because of what she did to you, it's not. You lead us to everything we needed to help Spencer get off. This is all thanks to you, Mon. I hope you can finally rest in peace.  _You won_ .”

Hanna grabbed her purse and started towards the exit. She swore she heard footsteps following her, so Hanna stopped dead in her tracks. She glanced around before turning around. Mona Vanderwaal, alive and well, stood before her, live in the flesh.

“No, Han, you're _not_ dreaming,” Mona said with a smile on her face. “Come on, where's my hug?”

Hanna rushed towards Mona, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

“Were you here that whole time? Where have you been?” Hanna asked, tears streaming from her eyes again.

“I'll answer all your questions later, but now, I've got to do something, Hanna,” Mona spoke. She got down on one knee and pulled out a black velvet box.

“Hanna Marin, will you marry me?”

 


	2. II: THE UNKNOWN.

Hanna's heart beat so loudly she could feel it. A million thoughts raced through her head as she stared straight ahead at Mona. With her hands shaking, Hanna couldn't bring herself to even make a noise.

“Han,” Mona started, “I know this is all confusing... I really do. But I'll explain everything soon, okay? No more games, no more A. It's just you and me.”

Hanna felt the tears swell up in her eyes, threatening to flood. She bit her lip, trying to muster up the guts to say something, to let Mona know what she was feeling.

“I-I don't,” the blonde stammered, “I don't believe this.”

“Really, Han? If Ali can fake her death, you know good and well that I can.”

Tears started to stream down Hanna's face. She still couldn't process that Mona was actually standing in front of her. She'd _been_ into her house after she was murdered. _There was so much blood,_ Hanna thought. _There's no way she survived, Hanna. You're hallucinating or just dreaming_.

“Alright,” the petite brunette said. “I understand. I'll let you think about it.”

Mona's heels began to click down the hall of the mausoleum. Hanna followed behind her closely, trying to catch up with her.

“Wait, Mona,” Hanna nearly shouted as Mona began to reach for the exit door. “I do need sometime to think about this, I do... _But_ , I also need some answers before I can actually think about it.”

“Alright,” Mona spoke before taking a long pause. “Meet me at The Brew at seven, and I will explain everything.”

“Okay,” Hanna said, finally calming down. “But, Mona... Please stay safe. I-I know there are going to be a lot of people upset that you're back... And I _can't_ lose you again.”

“I kn–”

“No, Mona. You _don't_. You don't know how many nights I've stayed up, crying over you. You don't know how many times I wished I could just make you appear when I needed you most. I can handle a lot, but this... You being gone... It was hell. An eternity of hell.”

“I promise I'll make it up to you, Hannakins.”

“You better.”

* * *

 

The aroma of coffee beans infiltrated Hanna's nose as she entered The Brew and got in line to order. She fiddled with her hands nervously, scared that Mona wouldn't show, that everything she'd just experienced was a lie. She took out her phone and looked at the time. 6:50, it read. Hanna was so anxious to see Mona again after she'd left the mausoleum that she got to the coffee shop ten minutes early.

Hanna stepped up to the cashier and ordered her usual: a large peppermint mocha with extra, extra cream. She handed the guy working behind the counter her card, and he swiped it before giving it back to her. She moved off to the side and impatiently waited for Mona to show up. She stared at the door, hoping that the next person to enter would be the girl she'd come to know so well.

After a few moments of staring, Hanna's order was ready. She took the hot drink and mumbled a thank you to the barista. As she found a place to sit, Mona walked through the doors. Hanna waved, and Mona smiled.

“One second,” Mona mouthed. Hanna nodded.

Every second that passed seemed like an eternity to Hanna. She tapped her foot anxiously and sipped her coffee while Mona ordered her coffee.

Mona walked over to the table Hanna was sitting at after what seemed to be a lifetime to be to Hanna. Hanna took a deep breath as Mona sat down.

“So, where do you want me to start?” Mona inquired.

“Well, you could start at where, you know, you kinda faked your death.”

“Fair enough....”

“Well?”

“Hold your horses, Han.”

“Sorry... I'm just kinda distraught.”

“It's okay... Well, you know that blood Aria found in Mike's room? It was mine. I'd been saving my blood for a couple of months. That's why there was so much blood all over the house. And it's why when you were trying out for that solo in choir, I passed out.”

“Why though?”

“They stopped didn't they? The messages?”

“Mona, you're telling me, you faked your death just to stop Alison from harassing us?”

“No, that's not, Hanna.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I'm saying that I faked my death, so A would leave _you_ alone. Don't get me wrong... I do owe the others _a lot,_ but I was concerned about you, Hanna. I couldn't stand to see you hurt any longer.”

“So, what do you plan on doing with Ali being in jail for like... Your murder.”

“Hanna, have you ever known me to _not_ have a plan?”

“True... But they had a trial and everything.”

“Oh, Hannakins... Everything is going to work out just fine.”

Hanna sighed and took a sip of her coffee. She looked up into Mona's brown eyes. It felt like Mona was staring straight through her soul. It felt like Mona could her heart screaming at her for not answering Mona's proposal earlier while her brain was screaming at her to ask more question.

“One more question, M,” Hanna stated.

“Alright, shoot,” the brunette replied.

“Where were you all this time?”

“A magician never reveals her secrets.”

“ _Mona_.”

“Okay, fine. I was hiding out in New York and Philly... Only a couple of people knew.”

“And I wasn't one of them?”

“If I told you, it might've jeopardized the whole plan. You have no idea how much I wanted to just send you a letter, explaining all this garbage. I wanted you to know I was okay. I really did, but... I couldn't... No, I _wouldn't_ risk your safety. I know this is all crazy, Han. But I've got a plan. I've got the answers this time.”

“What do you mean?”

“You'll see, Hanna.”

 _Of course,_ Hanna thought, _she's just got to be so fucking cryptic all the damn time._

Mona cleared her throat, “Han?”

“Yeah?”

“About the... You know what? Nevermind...”

“About the what?”

“Nothing, it doesn't matter.”

“Yes, it does, Mona. Just tell me.”

“I was going to tell just, uh, tell you that... I, um, wanted to let you know that you can take all the time you need for the, um, proposal.”

“I know, M. Thank you, though.”

“Yeah, um... Well, I better get going,” Mona said as she got up, coffee in head.

Hanna smiled before getting up and wrapping her arms around Mona. Mona was a bit apprehensive at first, but then she wrapped her arms around the tiny blonde.

“Love you, Mona,” Hanna said quietly.

“Love you, too, Han,” Mona replied.

The two hugged for a little bit longer before one of them pulled away. Neither was sure which one pulled away. They were both too scared to let go of each other again. Mona couldn't risk losing Hanna again. After all the progress they'd worked on, she refused to let it go to waste. And Hanna, on the other hand, knew deep inside her heart that she would not be able to function if Mona was ripped away from her once again.

Mona made her way out of the coffee shop, and Hanna slowly began to follow. Mona unlocked the door to her car, and as she started to get in, Hanna stopped her.

“Hanna, what are you doing?” Mona asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, Mona... Yes,” was all that Hanna could say.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I'll marry you.”

Mona felt the butterflies in her stomach take flight once again. She honestly couldn't believe Hanna agreed to it. It was so surreal for her that it took her a couple of moments for her to be brought back down to reality.

“But, you know, Mona, if I'm going to marry you, you're going to have to propose again. In front of _everyone_ ,” Hanna said with a smile.

And Mona gladly would.

 

 

 

 


End file.
